6 stars, 6.25, even 7.
In 2023, it’s the de facto answer to “what is the greatest professional wrestling match series of all time.” Given my notoriety as somewhat of a contrarian, I can assure it absolutely deserves its place in this debate; right next to others such as Joe vs. Punk, Danielson vs. McGuinness and Misawa vs. Kawada. Hell, it’s arguably above them. Omega and Okada always aimed for a grand spectacle and given their superhuman levels of chemistry, it was achieved every single time they crossed in the ring. They presented a feast for the eyes and at times, even the heart. Despite this, there are undeniable cracks in the foundational structure of their matches that ultimately, leaves the series both imperfect and the answer to the question much less definite.
01/04/2017
It would appear that this match is the classic trope of a foreign gaijin against the Japanese Ace, but it’s nothing like seeing Stan Hansen against Jumbo Tsuruta even if Kenny, by default, plays a heel. There is just so much to invest in him, given the treacherous G1 campaign and his rags-to-riches story that you can’t help but root for him. This match series after all, is undoubtedly the catalyst for how beloved he has become amongst wrestling fans. He walks out to the Tokyo Dome audience, breathes in the sacred air and goes to work on executing his simple plan: wearing down Okada in order to break a hole in his seemingly impenetrable armor and hit the One Winged Angel.
People often forget the first half because when contrasted with the finishing stretch, it’s almost night and day. With what’s become bastardized into oblivion in New Japan ever since, they spend the first 20 minutes just riffing their moves. Omega hits his signature offense and then Okada does some. It’s only after the incredible moment where a back body drop sends Kenny flying up to the roof of the Tokyo Dome, into a Japanese table, where the magic truly begins. Everything after is what you come to expect from these two. A package of adrenaline, intensity and crisp offense.
The Rainmaker near-fall gets you jumping out of your seat, screaming and crying. There’s not much criticism to be made about the last 25 minutes. It’s tremendous. The issue really lies in the illusion they try to play off during the first 20 minutes. It’s long with hardly any escalation. In the grand scheme of things, you can see how the first 20 minutes work to wear them down, but it’s nothing that the sprint in the second half doesn’t achieve miles better. It does make sense for them to feel each other out given it’s the first time they’ve ever met, but you don’t need the runtime of a full match to do so. It’s a small black mark on an otherwise stellar main event that no pro wrestling fan should miss out.
Big Ben Scale: ****½
06/11/2017
Six Months later, they meet again. Given the acclaimed rating from Wrestle Kingdom, it only made sense that they escalated things for such a highly anticipated rematch. The answer? 60 minute time-limit draw. This match is both an improvement and a regression. Their chemistry has been perfected, and it leads to some mind-blowing spots and sequences. For one, it’s got the best V-Trigger Omega has ever delivered for my money.
The sense of futility and desperation that Kenny displays and seeing Okada gut through his discomfort to protect his ace status only to crumble back to humanity makes for incredibly compelling drama. Even the start of the match looks to be an improvement, with Omega displaying some very good leg work on Okada. The big near fall of the match: Okada getting his feet on the ropes after Kenny finally hits the OWA is arguably even better than the Rainmaker kick out at the Dome.
This match is surely better right? The leg work that Omega established for 10 straight minutes does not pay off at all, and it really sums up the main flaw of this match: stalling. The pace is much slower, and they are much more cautious with the big offense being delivered, but a lot of the time, it leaves the match feeling empty and stagnant. Like the Tokyo Dome match, they play up the illusion that long = better but to an even higher degree. After the OWA rope break, it’s a crawl to reach the inevitable. There’s still awesome spots scattered throughout, emphasis on Kenny folding onto the mat out of exhaustion, accidentally ducking the Rainmaker.
These two are world-class professional wrestlers, so the drama in the present never seemed to dissipate, but in this match, you get the sense that they are just waiting for the time limit. It’s no wonder then that the finishing stretch is probably the weaker one in their series. Still great, but the flaws are scattered throughout.
Big Ben Rating: ****¼
08/12/2017
To keep it short, this match is perfect. Every error from their previous matches is gone, and you’re left with just the adrenaline and big bombs. The G1 block structure meant that this match was restricted to 30 minutes and this adds to the drama. Given the last match took 60 minutes, the suspicion of another draw loomed heavily over Ryogoku on this night. Okada’s neck had been previously softened by Minoru Suzuki and Omega targets it like an Eagle to a fish. Omega creatively works the neck throughout, wrenching and kicking with his flashy move set whilst Okada desperately tries to weather the storm with what had previously worked. A poisonrana on the outside later and it’s game over for Okada.
He can try to hide behind stoicism all he wants but like he was against Shibata in the same building earlier in the year, he’s completely out of his element. This time, there’s no life-threatening brain hemorrhage to provide him an escape. It takes only 24:20 on this night for Omega’s hand to finally be raised. Every second is saturated with class, precision and excellent pro-wrestling as they build to a satisfying conclusion. And unlike other pro-wrestling matches which seem to avoid the suitable ending so they can include more spots, the finish happens at the exact peak of the heat in the match.
Omega weakens Okada’s neck then delivers the killing blow on said neck. Zero complaints. This bout is a microcosm of every form of praise that these two receive when they wrestle each other. The historic venue, Japanese tradition, heavy emotion and of course, the bell-to-bell action. If you ever want to introduce somebody into pro wrestling, this might just be the perfect match to do so too.
Big Ben Rating: *****
06/09/2018
The tension in the air during this match is unlike any other I’ve ever seen. Unlike the first two matches, the slow, cautious start works to this match’s benefit as every move, no matter how grand, has immeasurable levels of significance. The pay-off is also terrific as this tension is heart-wrenchingly cut when Okada delivers a flash pin on Omega, placing him in a 0-1 deficit.
The second fall sees the tension rise even further as desperation and exhaustion wear in with imperfection creeping in both men’s game. It provides a logical reasoning as to why both are able to land their bigger shots. I do not need to repeat myself again over the chemistry they have in these move trading segments, but there’s just something special about it in this match.
The sense of finality on this occasion makes every signature matter that much more and as they wrestle control between one another, you feel it deep in your guts. The finish is immaculate, full of excessive emotion that when done right is gratifying.
The post match with the Young Bucks and Ibushi is simply the icing on the cake. Negatives? Once again it’s too long. Yes it’s excusable, but the two run just shy of material to go a whole 65 minutes and there’s some occasional repetition between the 2nd and 3rd fall, but it’s never anything immersion breaking. Given that it’s the final, the ludicrous runtime is at the very least, excusable.
Big Ben Rating: ****¾
Conclusion
“What did it cost?”
“Everything.”
Though this quote from the 6/9 VTR describing Kenny Omega’s journey towards the IWGP heavyweight championship, it unintentionally describes what this series has done to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Ever since, it has felt as though the main event matches have felt more and more soulless, sticking to the tried and tested formula that peaked in this series.
Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada are phenomenal wrestlers and both men bring the best out of each other. Watching Kenny fight against the limits of his own body and will to break down the impenetrable armor of Okada makes for tremendous wrestling and given how they do it, of course the matches rocked. They weren’t good just because they were long! It seems as though New Japan’s main events have just become a tale of, “who can hit a lot of their moves?” nowadays. Though there’s nothing wrong with it in isolation, you hardly get anything unique in New Japan anymore and the special feeling they had in the early 2010s has faded drastically. Especially during the pandemic, New Japan has sunk deeper into repetition and stagnation as they try desperately to match the peak of this rivalry and fail each time. Even with the young lion movement, it feels like I’m watching the same matches, and it’s only when somebody from outside like Jon Moxley or Kaito Kiyomiya come in that you feel the magic of pro-wrestling once again.
Here’s to hoping New Japan changes, and here’s to Kenny Omega Vs Kazuchika Okada.
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